Vijay Mallya speaks to members of the media as he arrives to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in central London. Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP

Mumbai: Vijay Mallya dropped a big bomb so to say, when he told news agency ANI that he met the Finance Minster before leaving the country and offered to settle. “I met the Finance Minister before I left, repeated my offer to settle with the banks”, says Vijay Mallya outside London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

Earlier the lawyer of liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Wednesday claimed that IDBI Bank officials were well aware of the losses incurred in the debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines.

Mallya’s lawyer told Westminster Magistrates Court in London, “IDBI bank officials were well aware of losses at Kingfisher. The emails from IDBI officials show that the government’s accusation of Mallya hiding losses is baseless.” The lawyer further said, “There is no evidence that Mallya or Kingfisher applied for bank loans with bad intent.” Mallya, while heading inside the court in connection with his extradition case, said that he is ready for a comprehensive settlement.

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